Next In Line
by dweissa
Summary: Cammy gets accepted into Hogwarts and meets Rose, Albus, Scorpius.
1. Platform Nine and Three Quarters

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does.

I looked around me in awe. "So this is platform nine and three-quarters," I whispered, my breath forming puffs in the cold autumn air. I slowly took in the great red train with the words "Hogwarts Express" written across it, the strange-looking people in their eccentric robes, and the cacophony of animal sounds and human voices.

I glanced back at the archway where I had just come from, and imagined my parents standing on the other side, their faces lined with worry. They still were not used to the fact that I was going away to become a witch. I, on the other hand, could not believe my luck. It was as if all my wishes had come true!

We had spent almost half an hour looking for platform nine and three-quarters. All we could see were the big signs "Platform Nine" and "Platform Ten", with no other platforms in between.

Just when we were about to give up, a family of four approached us. The man and the children were freckled and red-haired while the woman had dark, bushy hair. The couple introduced themselves as Ron and Hermione, and their children were Rose and Hugo. After that they very kindly explained how I could reach platform nine and three-quarters. "Run straight to that barrier, you say?" Dad wheezed, turning purple at the thought. I stifled a laugh at Mum and Dad's little screams when Ron and Hermione disappeared into the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

Before seeing me off, Dad imparted his last piece of advice: "You take care of yourself, Cammy. Be careful of those magical things, alright?" I gave him a kiss and a hug and turned to Mum, whose deep blue eyes, identical to mine, were brimming with tears.

She embraced me, spilling tears into my long brown hair. "Oh dear! I simply cannot bear it! With you so far away! We couldn't even come to visit!" she wailed. Poor Mum. I was their only child, and I've never been away from them since I was born. It really was difficult for them to understand that I had been accepted into Hogwarts, but after the deputy head teacher visited and talked to them, they admitted that it really was the best for me.

"Oh Mum. We'll still see each other on Christmas," I gently assured her. I was a bit saddened as I thought about the three long months without them. I won't be there anymore to join Dad as he bird-watched, or to sit patiently at the piano while Mum taught me a new piece.

Still, I also eagerly anticipated the things I would experience when I got away from their eagle eyes. No mother to admonish me when I ate one too many candies. No father to give me an earful if I enjoyed playing in the rain too much. And of course, I wouldn't be too lonely anymore, locked up in a big old house without any siblings or children my age to play with.

After waving a last goodbye to Mum and Dad, I rushed into the solid wall and emerged completely unharmed onto this place hidden by magic.

Thankfully, Ron and his family had patiently waited for me on the other side. They seemed to be very understanding. "This must be your first time. You're muggle-born, I see," Ron commented. "You'll get used to it, no worries." Hermione smiled.

Their children were equally nice. The elder, Rose, was also entering her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was a tall, pretty girl with a mane of dark red hair, deep brown eyes, and freckles strewn over her nose. She playfully joked that we were both flowers among the thorns (as she was a Rose and I was a Camelia).

Ron and Hermione lifted my heavy trunk and birdcage onto one of the empty carriages. "I remember how Harry was during our first year. He was as helpless as this little girl here," Ron was telling his wife. Rose and I talked for a while, but then they had to go find their relatives. Rose promised that she would look for me later on the train. I secretly hoped we would become friends, as she seemed to be fun, very pleasant, and accepting of Muggle-borns like me. Besides, I knew absolutely no one in this strange new place.

I saw students get onto the carriages, and I followed suit. I should have been anxious but when I jumped into the open door, I was already vibrating with excitement.

Then I heard the shrill sound of the whistle. I watched as children waved goodbye to their parents even while the Hogwarts Express inched forward. The people on the platform grew smaller and smaller as the train gained speed, until they disappeared into the swirling mist.

**A/N:**

Thanks so much to my beta, TurnThePaige, for the helpful suggestions and wonderful critique.

My first Harry Potter fanfic ever! yay!

The title of this story is taken from After Image's song with the same title.

Only Cammy is created by me, the rest of the characters are Ms. Rowling's. I described the next generation characters just as the amazing porotto drew them. You can find her versions of the next generation characters in porotto(dot)deviantart(dot)com.

Kudos to the creators of The Harry Potter Lexicon. Everything I needed to know about HP while writing this story, I found there! Honestly, those guys are awesome. ;) Link here: www(dot)hp-lexicon(dot)org

_ Damn! I wish I were Cammy!


	2. Hogwarts Express

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does.

I sat all by myself in one of the compartments, but after a few moments got bored. I decided to go out in search for Rose.

I timidly walked along the corridor, not meeting the eyes of the other students. I glanced into the seats but I couldn't recognize any of the passengers' faces. At length I walked into an empty carriage.

Suddenly, I saw smoke emerge from the glass door of the compartment farthest from me. I cautiously moved closer to investigate.

A pale blond boy about my age lay unconscious on the floor. His face was hidden in thick grey smoke. A ring of flames surrounded him and licked at the edge of his black robe. I pulled at the door but it was locked.

"Help!" I cried out to the empty corridor and hoped that somebody at the next carriage heard me. The metal handle was growing hot from the fire, but I continued tugging it open until it was too hot to hold.

"Cammy!" Someone shouted. To my relief, Rose was running towards me, her wand pointed towards the burning room. A black-haired boy was close at her heels.

"Alohomora!" The door slid open at her words. I staggered backward as hot air and smoke hit me in full force.

Covering my face with my robe, I quickly stepped into the fire and pulled the unconscious boy by his left arm. Rose's companion clutched his right arm and together we dragged him to safety. The dark-haired boy stomped on the flames that had caught on the blond boy's robe until they were gone. Rose held out her wand, murmuring incantations that gradually subdued the blaze.

Gasping lungfuls of clean air, the dark-haired boy and I leaned on one of the seats. "Are you alright?" he asked me, his bright green eyes searching my face and arms for burns.

I nodded weakly. "It is him we should be worried about," I said, pointing to the boy we saved. I looked upon the victim and my breath caught in my throat. Before me was the most beautiful boy I had ever seen. I was gripped with the compelling desire to save this light-haired angel. Without thinking, I took out my wand and touched him with it. A bright blue light enveloped him and after a few seconds, he blinked his light grey eyes open.

I watched him silently as he took in his surroundings then looked at the three of us. His chiseled face was marred with confusion. "Who are you?"

Rose stepped forward. "I'm Rose. This is my cousin Al, and that's Cammy. We're all first year students. What's your name?"

"Scorpius. What happened?" he croaked, swallowing with difficulty.

"Cammy saw you lying in that burning compartment. It was locked from the inside when Al and I arrived," Rose explained. "Do you remember how you got in there?"

He shook his head. "The last thing I remember was going into the washroom." He lifted his hand to his forehead, wincing in pain.

"There you are!" An older boy who greatly resembled Al strode quickly towards us, and with him was a statuesque girl with strawberry blond hair.

"James! Vicky! What took you so long?" Al exclaimed.

"We had to go and inform the prefects. Is anyone hurt?" James asked. He and Vicky began inspecting the three of us. Satisfied that we were uninjured, he turned to Scorpius. He raised his brows in surprise.

"What is _he_ doing here?" he demanded.

"James!" Rose warned. "He was almost killed in the fire! Thank goodness the three of us got here in time… or else…"

"It might have been a trap," James countered.

Al placed a hand on his shoulder. "James, please…" He looked at Scorpius apologetically. "Scorpius, forgive my brother. He always jumps to conclusions…"

Scorpius closed his eyes, apparently too weak to respond.

I glared at James. How could he accuse Scorpius of such terrible things when he was so clearly the victim?

Vicky spoke to James in a soft, soothing voice. "Come on, Cousin. We'll report this to the authorities. They will get to the bottom of this." She turned to us. "No one else shall know about this. It will be best to keep this a secret until the Aurors investigate." She then smiled at Scorpius compassionately. "We'll be at Hogwarts shortly. We'll get you a nurse as soon as we can."

"We _will_ find out if your father or his friends had anything to do with this, Malfoy," James vowed. My jaw dropped open when I realized Scorpius was Draco Malfoy's son. I had read about his family in some of my course books. I looked at Rose and her cousins and belatedly discovered that they were children of the famous Potters and Weasleys. So that was why James seemed to hate Scorpius so much…

Still regarding Scorpius with mistrust, James followed Vicky out of the carriage.

"Sorry about that, Scorpius," Rose muttered. "My cousin tends to be a little rash sometimes."

Scorpius sighed. "I'm used to it. My family and I still get nasty looks when we go out in public. People will never forget the crimes of the Death Eaters."

My heart reached out to him. "But the son must not be blamed for what the father did," I blurted out. Rose and Al nodded in agreement.

Scorpius looked at the cousins strangely. "I can't understand. Why are you so quick to trust me? Why aren't you suspicious, like James was?"

"Like Cammy said, you had nothing to do with your ancestor's sins," Rose replied.

Al hesitated before speaking softly, "Dad used to tell me stories about his encounters with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. And there was one particular story I could never forget."

Harry Potter's adventures with Voldemort were written in some history books, but they were far too vague in my opinion. I listened to Al with rapt attention.

"Voldemort had just hit Dad with a Killing Curse. Miraculously, he survived, but he was pretending to be dead. Voldemort then commanded Narcissa Malfoy, your grandmother—" he grestured to Scorpius, "—to check if Dad really was dead. And do you know what she did?" We shook our heads. "She lied to the Dark Lord. She said Dad was dead even though she knew that he was alive. If Voldemort had sent another, more trustworthy Death Eater to confirm Narcissa's claim, she would have been found out and killed for disloyalty. So you see? Your grandmother risked her life in order to save Dad!"

"Just as you risked your lives to save mine," Scorpius said slowly. "Thank you, everyone."

We looked at each other, bright beams on our young faces. We didn't know it at that time, but the four of us were already tied to each other in one of the most unbreakable bonds ever known.

The bond of Friendship.

**A/N: **

Thanks so much to my beta, TurnThePaige, for the helpful suggestions and wonderful critique.

Is it too obvious that I have a crush on Scorpius? ^.^ Or porotto's Scorpius, that is. Check him out! http:/porotto(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/HP-Scorpius-HP7SPOILER-75489355

Wish I had a gang as cool as them! LOL Sorry for the corny ending… just couldn't help it…


	3. Hogwarts Castle

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does.

It was dark when we reached our destination. When we got out of the train, a nurse was already waiting for Scorpius. After giving him a foul-smelling potion to drink and urging him to change into fresh robes, she deemed him well enough to not be confined to the hospital.

The four of us were then ushered into one of the small boats that were to take the first year students through the vast lake to Hogwarts. We sat in tense silence as the boats magically sailed through the dark waters.

At last, we reached the dock, and then we were led to the castle doors. What happened next was a bit of a blur, which might have been due to the intense bouts of apprehension I kept having. All I could remember was that a wizard (a teacher, probably) stood facing us, explaining some things (I could not recall a word he had said), and then we formed a long straight line into the famed Great Hall.

I remembered clasping clammy hands with Rose and Al. I could not explain it, but I felt even more dismayed when I saw Scorpius clutch Rose's other hand.

I had read last summer that we were to be sorted into the four houses of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. With a sudden flash of insight, I knew that I was about to be separated from my new friends very soon. I held onto their hands as tight as I could, ignoring the numbness that was slowly creeping into my fingers.

I could not even remember hearing the Sorting Hat's song, nor the applause of the older students sitting at the four extensive tables. I could only look at the wizard (who called himself Professor Longbottom) call out the first years' names alphabetically. The feeling of dread dulled my senses so much that I didn't even hear my name being called out. "Lore, Camelia! Cammy, that's you!" Rose whispered, nudging me towards the stool where the Sorting Hat sat. My cheeks grew warm as I sat on the stool and placed the hat on my head.

"Hufflepuff!" The hat shouted.

I tried my best to hide my disappointment. I knew I didn't have any special qualities, but a tiny part of me wished I were in Gryffindor, which seemed to be the greatest of all houses.

I smiled shyly at the Hufflepuffs who cheered me as I found a seat in their midst.

I then listened to Professor Longbottom as he called out the next names. When at last he said, "Malfoy, Scorpius!" my ears perked up.

He sat on the stool as I had done and placed the hat on his head. At first, the hat did not say anything. I knew that everyone in his family was a Slytherin, but as the silence lengthened I hoped against hope that he would be sorted into Hufflepuff and we could be together.

At last, the hat decided. "Slytherin!" I felt my throat work up and down. "That's alright, Cammy. There's still hope that Al or Rose will be a Hufflepuff." I consoled myself.

Next, I waited for Al's name. "Potter, Albus!"

I heard murmurs as Al walked up to the hat. "Harry Potter's younger son!" and "He looks just like his father!" was heard everywhere. I've never seen Harry Potter in person, only pictures and statues of him during my short trip to Diagon Alley. I admitted with awe that Al definitely looked like his younger version. How had an insignificant muggle-born like me befriended such famous friends?

The hat had just grazed his forehead when the hat announced, "Gryffindor!" Albus seemed to exhale with relief. He grinned as he joined his brother at their table.

With a sinking feeling, I waited for Rose's name to be called. "Weasley, Rose!"

She sat on the stool and as the hat sat on top of her head, I saw her face pucker. "I'm sorry lassie, but you're in Ravenclaw!" Rose's eyes were watery as she joined the other Ravenclaws, who were only too happy to have a celebrity in their house. I knew that her father wanted her to be in Gryffindor, and I longed to sit next to her and comfort her. As if reading my mind, she looked at me and gave me a brave little smile.

I thought she was lucky, though, because a few minutes later her cousin Vicky approached her. She was not alone in Ravenclaw after all.

I ate my dinner in silence. Alright, so all of my friends were in different houses. That couldn't be so bad, right? I heard that some classes were composed of two houses grouped together. That meant I would still see my friends in some of my classes. I only wished I could talk to Rose in bed when the lights were off, or study with Scorpius and Al in the common room after class. No matter. I could still make new friends in Hufflepuff. And I could always meet up with my three friends during breaks or school events.

With those cheerful thoughts in my head, I finished my meal with a lighter heart.

**A/N: **

Thanks so much to my beta, TurnThePaige, for the helpful suggestions and wonderful critique.

Poor kids. Being separated from your friends at the first day of school really does suck (based on experience ;). And putting Rose in Ravenclaw! It truly was a hard decision to make! Rose kept telling me she wanted to be in Gryffindor. Of course, almost everyone wants to be in Gryffindor! Even me! But the Sorting Hat does have a reason for putting her there, so she'll stay there…Until Rowling reveals more info on the next gen of course!


	4. After The Banquet

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does.

With all my might, I waged a battle against my enemy.

I won. A temporary victory, but it was a victory nonetheless.

My enemy was Sleep.

The generous banquet at the Great Hall had left me so full I wondered if I would ever get hungry again. Maybe not in the next few days anyway. The long tables were filled with all sorts of mouth-watering food imaginable. Even if I was never hungry at home (Mum always made sure of that), the sight of so much food made me want to try it all. The golden plates and goblets before us were refilled as soon as they were empty. I was immediately reminded of the enchanted feasts in the fairytales I loved to read and was delighted that those magical things were not so impossible after all.

And so this feeling of fullness, added to the traumatic experience on the train as well as the stress of the sorting ceremony, left me craving for the comforts of a warm, soft bed.

Unfortunately, I had to stay awake because we were in the middle of an investigation.

After dinner, Rose, Al, Scorpius, and I were escorted into a room off the Great Hall where my three friends' parents and a team of Aurors were waiting for us.

Al and Rose's fathers, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, were Aurors themselves (Harry was the head of the Aurors). They, together with three others, had investigated the strange incident on the Hogwarts Express. They interviewed James, Vicky, and the prefects then sent them to bed. The four of us were next. Then Harry and Ron's three companions, Toole, Marlowe, and Goate spoke with the headmaster and the heads of our respective houses in the adjoining room.

The parents had a few words with their children. Mine weren't present because Muggles weren't supposed to know about magical incidents. Besides, I wouldn't want to worry them needlessly anyway. After all, I came out of the experience uninjured.

The family sitting closest to me was Rose's. I heard Rose say in a tiny voice, "Will you really disown me now that I'm in Ravenclaw?"

"Of course not!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I'm still thinking about it," Ron said at the same time.

A few feet away, Harry and Ginny Potter were conversing quietly with Al.

At the far corner of the room, the Malfoys sat apart from the rest of us. Asteria was hugging Scorpius as she cried silently while Draco was looking at them with a pained expression. After a while he looked up and his eyes met Harry's.

"Thank you, all of you," Draco said thickly. "If not for your children, my only son would have…" he did not continue. Instead, he murmured, "You have raised your children well."

Harry nodded. "A fine son you got there, Draco. We will do our best to find out who tried to hurt him."

At that moment, the teachers and the agents entered the door. The headmaster and the heads of the houses looked at us admiringly. "Albus Potter…" the head of Gryffindor, called out approvingly. "… You are truly your father's son. The bravery and selflessness you showed reminds me so much of Harry." He winked at Harry.

"And you, Rose," the head of Ravenclaw, said. "You astound me! A first-year who could already master spells that even older students have trouble learning! And classes haven't even started yet! Your quick wit in time of danger is the mark of a true Ravenclaw!"

"That's our Rosie." Ron beamed, apparently not minding anymore that his daughter was in Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor.

"Camelia," The head of Hufflepuff called out. I turned to her and saw the gleam in her eye. "The nurse who examined Scorpius said that he was perfectly fine, without the injuries he should have sustained in that fire. Young Albus here tells me that it was you who cured Scorpius after you both pulled him out of the room."

I had forgotten about that during the excitement of the evening. My thoughts returned to the fire. Indeed, I remembered taking out my wand without really intending to, touching Scorpius with it…

"Um…" I murmured, trying to recall more. Did I really cure him? I honestly didn't know any spell, unlike Rose. So how could I have cured him? Was it really possible?

"Let me see your wand, young lady," she said, holding out her hand. I pulled out a seven-inch white stick out of the sleeve of my school robe, feeling a warmth pulse through it before I set it on her palm. She held it up to the light of the chandelier. "Ahh… made from Birch. Am I correct?"

I nodded, remembering the explanation of the man from the wand shop.

"A weak wand, then," commented Goate, a thin, balding man with glasses.

"On the contrary…" the professor gave him an admonishing look. "… Birch is one of the finest woods for wand making. It may not be as hardy as Dogwood, but it is known to create a strong Patronus… and of course it is very good in healing." At her last statement, she winked at me. "And the core, child?"

"A strand of unicorn hair and a piece of fairy wing," I replied softly.

"Hmm… Unicorns. Also known for their healing powers." She gave me back my wand. "The strong powers of this wand, combined with its owner's innate abilities, can cure even maladies caused by Dark Magic."

"Dark Magic? But I thought it was just an ordinary fire…" Asteria said softly.

"We have reason to believe that the fire might have been created by someone familiar with the Dark Arts," Toole spoke. He was a heavyset man with a pink face. He shook his head at the gasps that filled the room at his revelation.

"When we surveyed the scene of the fire, we found the Dark Mark burned through the floor," added Marlowe, an attractive man with chestnut hair.

"But surely, dear," Hermione began, "The Dark Lord's been dead for years, his followers imprisoned or defected."

"Not everyone, I'm afraid," Ron answered her. "Some of the Death Eaters were not accounted for. It's possible that they're dead, or—"

"They went into hiding," Draco finished. "Father told me that some of the Death Eaters may have escaped the Ministry's clutches in the chaos of battle."

"So it is possible that whoever did this is a Death Eater who longs for revenge," Ginny observed.

Harry nodded. "We're considering that theory. Mind you, we're looking at all possible scenarios." He got up and nodded to the head teacher. "You will tell us if something comes up, will you?"

"Of course." He breathed shakily, obviously shaken by the Aurors' news.

"Hogwarts is virtually impenetrable, but just as a precaution… We shall send Aurors to double the security," Harry announced. "In the meantime, we will continue searching for the intruder's trail. He couldn't have gone far."

"All right then, we'll be going. It is very late, and you need your rest. First day of school and all," Ron said as he and Hermione hugged their daughter. The other parents said their goodbyes as well.

"Draco, Asteria." The head of Slytherin house sighed heavily. "I don't need to say this but… Hogwarts is the safest place for your son. Don't worry too much, alright?"

With a nod, Draco left the room, followed by his reluctant wife, the three Aurors, the Weasleys, and the Potters. Ron could be heard saying, "What's gotten into you, Harry? 'A fine son you got there, Draco'? That boy's Draco's through and through, mark my words."

"Oh shut up Ron," Hermione reproached.

Harry shook his head. "Scorpius may greatly resemble his father physically, but I have seen a kindness and strength on his face that was not on Draco's when he was the same age." He gave the four of us a last look before disappearing into the next room. He was gone, but his words remained with us long after. "Perhaps, Ron, in the end, it is our children who will redeem us."

**A/N: **

Thanks so much to my beta, TurnThePaige, for the helpful suggestions and wonderful critique.

Information about Cammy's wand was taken from the site "Wizarding Realm: Your Character's Wand: Wood and Core Properties" by Jaclyn 'Jax' Sanders found at wizardingrealm(dot)net

**Whew! Glad that's done! Anyways, I've got this big project at work, so I guess I won't be seeing you guys for a long time… Until then… Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! **


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